Sophia Vinogradov, M.D.

Research Interests:

Dr. Sophia Vinogradov directs a translational clinical neuroscience laboratory that focuses on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. In collaboration with basic scientists, she studies neuroscience-informed computerized cognitive training exercises for patients with schizophrenia that aim to drive enduring plastic changes in cortical processing. The training programs utilize adaptive algorithms to adjust the difficulty level to maintain a 70-80% correct performance rate, allowing for a customized approach to each individual’s initial performance level and progress rate. Spanning several aspects of cognitive functioning, the exercises fine tune sensory processing speed, working memory, and attention as well as higher-order cognitive processes. In turn, this results in significant improvements in untrained cognitive skills as well as improvements in quality of life. Dr. Vinogradov uses MEG and fMRI methods to probe the brain changes in both early sensory processing and higher-order cognitive operations in subjects who undergo this cognitive training. More recently, she has begun to apply these methods to the study of adolescents who are prodromal for schizophrenia and young adults in early psychosis, with the goal of delaying or preventing the onset of a deteriorating psychiatric illness. Her work has contributed to a growing interest in the use of computerized “brain training” to treat some of the brain information processing abnormalities of psychiatric illnesses.

Selected Publications:

(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)